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In July, 2009, twelve reporters attended a press conference for the inauguration of a
monument in the eastern Turkish city of Kars. During the bus trip which was taking the reporters to the luncheon being held for them, the head press officer of the Kars City
Hall, on behalf of its mayor, Nevzat Bozkus, handed each journalist an envelope
containing the equivalent of €250 Euros or $350. Only two of the reporters rejected said
gift. The president of the Journalists Syndicate, Ercan Ipekci, felt this action on the part of journalists to be deplorable. The aim of this article is to present the partial results of a larger research project on journalistic ethics from the point of view of the professionals themselves. Specifically, the following pages analyze the perception of Madrid journalists with respect to the legitimacy of accepting various gifts when carrying out their work. The result of 30 in-depth interviews and 410 surveys of newspaper, radio, television, on−line and press office journalists who carry out their professional activity in
the Autonomous Community of Madrid show that this collective is very reticent to accept
gifts with a monetary value of over €200, or to carry out activities financed by a news
source. Fewer problems arise regarding acceptance of presents of nominal value of a
promotional merchandising nature, free tickets to shows and exhibitions, or paid meals and trips.